Little Miss Moonlight

There she smiled, with that last scoop of ice cream in her hand. She never will forget this day, maybe I won’t. Those few moments I spent with her, those exquisite reactions she gave and those impeccable few minutes which passed me by. They all stay as some of the most beautiful memories I've cherished with a child. A child who had no hopes, a child who never believed in a beginning nor an end. And most of all a child, who didn't believe in dreams. I guess, one day from this day, she will start to believe. Believe in hope; in a world, which will treat her as a child once more. Hope is the most exciting thing in life my friend and if you honestly believe that love is out there, it will come. And even if it doesn't come straight away there is still that chance all through your life that it will.

It was a fine evening, a beautiful sky with the moon just shining in where I and my best friend kept looking at the endless sands which ran the marina beach, yapping about all the glorious years which have passed by and the many ups and downs life has thrown us through. My life was going to change in a few days, as my big day was soon arriving. I was excited and chilled at the same time. Its those days of your life when whatever runs through your mind makes a lot out of it, either in confusions or in clarity.

Sharing a million thoughts, we wandered around watching the eternal clashing of the waves, stood there and wavered our eyes to the million lights which dazzled at the far bound sky and the waters beyond where the ships were docked. We spoke of the lives of the sailors and their life aboard those giant metal boats, the universe and its greatness. I looked up the sky and saw a plane flying pass us in the silent wind, with just the lights catching up with the glitter of the stars.

I imagined of the time passing me by, as in a few days, it will be time again to pack my bags and move on to another land, leaving all my loved one and starting on yet another great journey entrusted on me; the journey of marriage. With a thousand thoughts we slowly sifted across the sands to reach the brighter part of the beach where many a things are sold and played with.  I looked into all the different things which were displayed. All these reminded me of my childhood when dad used to bring me here in his motorbike. The beach going used be some of the best days of my life. It sounds so simple now, yet those days, getting ready, packing clothes, food and play stuff used to be such a task where in you feel beach is by far the greatest destination of your lifetime. But as years go, it’s a feeling of ignorance that takes over that you can go anywhere you want and however you want to and it so seems that just going to a beach for some people, takes years together. It’s still the very same beach with those endless waves crashing by. Time changes perceptions and along with it, change people. And all that stays are those little memories of yesteryear's which feel green as ever. How much time changes us, isn't it?

We crossed the sea shell cart and I remembered what my mother used to say… I still remember those words “Every sea has a song, take that shell and keep it close to your ears, close your eyes and listen… You will hear that song”. I have no idea to this day what that song sounds like. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think that it’s about something so beautiful; it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart feel light because of it. The music from those shells sometimes soared higher and farther than any of my dreams. It was like some beautiful butterfly flapped into my drab little life and made its walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every inch of my heart feels free.

We walked pass the endless line of juice shops and the parrot cages… Those cages remind of helplessness. With the invention of the modern astrology and its various colors from the internet to tarots, the poor parrot has somewhere lost its charm over the years. His clipped wings is all that he’s got and before we know he’ll be back in his little cage waiting his turn for brief freedom, until a another man walks in to know what’s in store for his future. 

Our feet walked in slowly towards the road when a little pair of hands pulled my arms to take notice. I looked down and saw this petty young girl, curly hair and bright racy eyes filled with energy. She had a pileup of stickers in her other hand and insisted me that I should get one from her. I looked up to her and said… “I am not a kid, and what will I do with all these stickers?” she never took notice of what I meant and still kept asserting that I should buy from her. I ignored her attempts many a times and kept walking slowly and steadily towards the exit of the beach. She now turned her attention to my friend and began demanding her to buy at least one piece of the sticker. My friend also kept ignoring her requests and we walked together with the little one following firmly on our trail.

We reached the road and sat down for few minutes on the stone ball thinking hard on how to evade this unexpected figure. While I stood there, the little girl came back to me and pulled up hand and looked up to me. I looked down and asked her to leave because I wasn't interested to buy those stickers. She was now joined by her elder sister who had just returned from a happy sale.

While I was ignoring the ongoing request, I looked up at a far distance and saw an ice cream cart filled with children all around eating and deliciously savoring every part of the cream in it. I instantly had a thought in my mind. I knelt down to the little one, looked up straight into her eyes and asked her “Do you like ice cream?”… She gave me that dazzling look I so cherished to see. She looked at me with a face of explosive excitement and said “What about the money?” I replied “Go there, to that ice cream cart and buy yourself whatever ice cream you need and when he asks for the money, point him to me”….

And there she ran like a wind, towards the cart while I stood there with a heart as light as a feather…. Seemingly content in the glory of the heart, I stood there looking at a child run to an ice cream with all her joy in front of her. Her sorrows buried and the child in her reborn. I was just overjoyed!

She ran to the cart and got herself and her sister a chocolate stick and ran back towards me. They both sat down next to us and without asking them a single extra question, me and my friend just sat close to them, watching them as they ate their ice cream with all its moments of glory. The joy and the happiness which overtook those brief moments is one of the best things I could remember till date. 

For a child who makes $1 a day with hardly any milk to salvage on, ice cream seems to be prime luxury and to get to watch a little child savor an ice cream like this in front of my eyes and making it happen for her was something very beautiful for me to share and go through. As I kept looking at her, a piece of me felt sad, that once she’s done with this ice cream, she will go back to selling stickers, her life will be once more belong to this cruel world waiting to devour her dreams. All I could do was to change 10minutes of her time. 10 minutes of hope which may be could bring in something for both of us. Hope that life will turn out better tomorrow and that something new will always happen to us. From this little child I have learnt something. I am grown up now, but may be in these years I could have done more. I should have opened my eyes more to this world…. May be I didn’t and I was wrong and I regret it now. I look back on the way I was then: a young, stupid kid who looked at himself and his needs. I wish I could talk to him. Try and talk some sense to him, tell him the way things are in this world. But I can't. That kid's long gone and this grown man is all that's left. I guess I’ve got to live with that.

As both of them finished their ice creams, I looked back at both of them, patted their heads with content, smiled and said “Be happy and live as good children, have hopes and believe in your dreams… May be we will again meet or may not – God bless you both” And as I left I said “And don’t throw those plastic covers on the beach, promise me you won’t” they screamed “PROMISEEEE” we both smiled and left looking at each other with blessed hearts and thankful smiles.

I looked at my best friend, gently smiled at her for this wonderful evening, held her hand and thanked her for being there, for without her; my life would have been a lot different on my own. For the beacon of light she has become to me and for all those moments she has shared and cared, a silent angel, for who she is, guiding and helping me all along my life - I can never ask God for more! And as the saying goes “We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend”

We both left for home.

There she smiled, with that last scoop of ice cream in her hand. She never will forget this day, maybe I won’t. Those few moments I spent with her, those exquisite reactions she gave and those impeccable few minutes which passed me by. They all stay as some of the most beautiful memories I've cherished with a child. A child who had no hopes, a child who never believed in a beginning nor an end. And most of all a child, who didn't believe in dreams. I guess, one day from this day, she will start to believe. Believe in hope; in a world, which will treat her as a child once more. Hope is the most exciting thing in life my friend and if you honestly believe that love is out there, it will come. And even if it doesn't come straight away there is still that chance all through your life that it will.